Humility

Leo Durocher was famous for his line, "nice guys finish last." Hitler fed on nice people the same way that a lion feeds on a gazelle. When I was young Hollywood made westerns. The usual western involved a hero who set aside his gun to live a nicer life. At the end when the bad guys were winning, he would put his gun back on and shoot his way to a decent conclusion. So goes humility. To be humble is the same thing as advertising that you want to be a victim. However, Jesus said that the meek would inherit the earth. How can this be? The truth is that being humble is not weak, but strong. A good example is the tree that bends in a strong wind; few such trees are uprooted. Meister Eckhart said that in order to find God it was necessary for one to empty himself completely. By this means, God is able to enter in and fill the empty space. The missing element is courage. Courage and humility can and should go hand in hand. It takes courage to let go and allow the still, small voice of God guide you when life is hard and the solutions to your problems appear to be nonexistent. It takes courage to avoid the easy but illicit solutions that tempt you at such times. If you are willing to pursue humility with courage, you will discover a great truth; this combination is powerful. Humility, properly used, allows you to not only let God guide you, but to guide you with courage and perseverance. When you study natural history, you will discover that there were many times when the earth faced extinction events. In one all but 5% of the biota died. Our ancestors survived them all, or we would not be here. Did they survive by being brash and aggressive, or by being humble and taking what God gave them for survival. I am betting that the latter is true.